A. Appeals: Any property owner or his agent may appeal any administrative decision relative to any of the provisions of this chapter. The village board shall hear all such appeals.
B. Exceptions: Any property owner or her agent may request an exception to these sign regulations. The appearance review commission shall hear all requests for authorized exceptions. If the requested exception is not an authorized exception as listed herein, then the request for exception will be processed as a text amendment before the village board of trustees.
1. Petition For Exception: The property owner or his agent seeking an exception shall make application for appearance review and sign ordinance exception consideration by completing an application for appearance review appropriateness approval on forms provided by the community development department and also available on the village website. All application procedures for applying for appropriateness approval from the appearance review commission as outlined in chapter 6 of this title.
2. Eligibility For Exception: All requests for exception must meet the following eligibility criteria:
a. The exception is requested due to a unique circumstance for the property or the business.
b. Granting the exception will not inhibit the fundamental purposes and intent of the sign regulations.
c. The exception will not be detrimental to the public welfare or injurious to property in the vicinity of the lot for which an exception is granted. (Ord. 14-02, 1-20-2014)
3. Authorized Exceptions: The appearance review commission may grant exceptions as follows:
a. To increase the sign area of a sign by no more than twenty five percent (25%).
b. To allow a direct illumination sign in the historic area.
c. To permit an exception from the sign location restrictions or minimum setback provided that any setback exception does not inhibit line of sight for vehicles or pedestrians.
d. To allow exceptions to permanent window sign regulations.
e. To grant an exception to the rule in the historic area to allow a property to display both a surface mounted sign and a freestanding sign.
f. To allow painted wall signs.
g. To allow one additional, an alternative type or to increase the size by up to ten percent (10%) for a residential home based business sign.
h. To increase the height and display area of a monument sign when four (4) or more tenant names are to be displayed. The height may not be increased in excess of twenty five feet (25') or higher than the principal structure.
i. To allow the display of a surface mounted sign for an office tenant or building.
j. To allow deviation from the prescribed placement of an electronic sign panel at the bottom of an overall sign panel immediately above the sign base only in the case of a potential retrofitting of an existing monument/ground sign.
k. To allow deviation from the required two foot (2') minimum height of a masonry base only in the case of a potential retrofitting of an existing monument/ground sign with an electronic sign panel.
l. To allow deviation from the prescribed minimum resolution standard (pixel pitch spacing) in electronic signs. (Ord. 2015-33, 12-21-2015)
C. Recommendation And Final Decision: The appearance review commission shall make a recommendation on the sign exception to the village board. The village board shall then act to grant or deny a sign exception recommendation from the appearance review commission. All such decisions shall be final and the petitioner shall not resubmit the sign exception request for one year following the date of its initial rejection. (Ord. 14-02, 1-20-2014)